Design of a highly sensitive SPR biosensor for rapid malaria detection based on zinc telluride and blue phosphorus/tungsten disulfide material
Md. Al Amin Islam Utshob, Maymona Binte Juwel, Rawfarin Sabiha, Md. Aminur Rahman, Safayat-Al Imam, Khandakar Mohammad Ishtiak
Abstract
Malaria continues to be a prominent global health issue, particularly in regions facing drug-resistant Plasmodium strains and climate-induced transmission expansion. To address the need for rapid and sensitive diagnostic devices, this research proposes an innovative surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor design based on a BK7-ZnTe-Ag-Fe 2 O 3 -BlueP/WS 2 multilayer structure. To analyze the proposed SPR structure, both the finite element method (FEM) and the transfer matrix method (TMM) employed. The optimal architecture utilizes ZnTe (12 nm) for plasmonic coupling and light confinement, Ag (40 nm) for enhanced plasmonic sensitivity, Fe 2 O 3 (3 nm) for interaction with the surface and stability and a BlueP/WS 2 monolayer for enhanced evanescent field and signal response. This proposed biosensor possesses maximum angular sensitivity of 444 (Degree/RIU), FWHM of 4.63 (Degree), figure of merit (FOM) of 95.80 and quality factor (QF) of 95.83 (1/RIU), with particularly good detection of the ring stage of malaria infection. Comparative studies with other sensor configurations reveal considerable enhancement in sensitivity and detection accuracy. High linearity of performance parameters with refractive index changes verifies the strength and reliability of the sensor for real-time malaria detection. The optimized SPR biosensor represents a low-cost, scalable platform for malaria detection at an early stage and can be extended to other biomedical applications, particularly in resource-limited settings. • A new biosensor has been developed that uses zinc telluride and blue phosphorus/tungsten disulfide nanomaterials to quickly and accurately detect malaria. • The sensor allows for thorough detection of the Ring, Trophozoite, and Schizont stages of malaria infection. • Superior performance characteristics are indicated by the suggested SPR biosensor's significantly increased sensitivity, higher figure of merit (FOM), and achieved minumum reflectivity. • These findings demonstrate the sensor's improved diagnostic potential and its potential applicability for precise and trustworthy malaria detection.